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Reconsidering the cosmological constant

Researchers Josh Frieman and Anowar Shajib found that physics-based models for evolving dark energy better explain current data than the standard model. The data suggests that dark energy density has decreased by about 10% over the last several billion years, changing the cosmic expansion history.

Hungry star is eating its cosmic twin at rate never seen before

Astronomers discovered a greedy white dwarf star consuming its closest celestial companion at an unprecedented rate. The study found that the super-dense white dwarf is burning brightly due to the mass transfer between the two stars, potentially leading to a massive explosion visible from Earth.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Revealing how matter affects the evolution of the universe

A University of Queensland researcher developed a new mathematical model explaining the universe's evolution, including collapsing regions of matter and expanding voids. The model resolves long-standing issues like Hubble tension and dynamical dark energy, showing complexity in the universe impacts cosmological measurements.

Out of the string theory swampland

Researchers propose a new subset of string theories that incorporate dynamic tension could help describe the real universe without violating observational constraints. This approach may alleviate the 'swampland problem,' which has hindered conventional string theory's ability to reproduce inflation and dark energy.

NASA's Roman mission shares detailed plans to scour skies

Roman's surveys will investigate dark energy and dark matter governing cosmic evolution, and study the demographics of worlds beyond our solar system. The missions include High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey, High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey, and Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey.

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter logs beta, gamma, and X-ray levels for environmental monitoring, training labs, and safety demonstrations.

Getting the most out of cosmic maps

Researchers have developed a new approach to analyzing cosmic maps, known as field-level inference, which preserves the fidelity of the data and can improve the determination of cosmological parameters by a factor of 3.5 to 5.2 compared to standard methods.

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.

Falsifying anthropics

A new paper in JCAP proposes a way to test the anthropic principle, which suggests the universe is fine-tuned for life. The proposal involves confirming three conditions: cosmic inflation, axion existence, and dark matter not being made of axions.

New DESI data shed light on gravity’s pull in the universe

The DESI collaboration has released a new analysis of its data, weighing in on the standard model of gravity. The results reveal that galaxies cluster consistent with Einstein's general theory of relativity, providing precise tests of gravity at large scales.

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock simplifies serious desks with 18 ports for high-speed storage, monitors, and instruments across Mac and PC setups.

Astrophysicists use AI to precisely calculate universe’s ‘settings’

Researchers at the Flatiron Institute and colleagues used AI-powered approach, SimBIG, to estimate five cosmological parameters with precision. The method significantly improved previous results, yielding less than half the uncertainty and closely agreeing with other estimates based on observations.

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition is a durable star atlas for planning sessions, identifying targets, and teaching celestial navigation.

Measuring the universe with star-shattering explosions

Researchers analyzed archive data from powerful cosmic explosions to find a new way to measure distances in the universe. They identified a class of 179 gamma-ray bursts with common features, which can be used as a cosmological tool.